May is Mental Health Matters Month in Sonoma County. On May 2nd, the Board of Supervisors met in a special all-day meeting organized by our Department of Health Services at the Finley Center in Santa Rosa to discuss mental health care needs in Sonoma County. The forum included county staff as well as behavioral health professionals working locally and was open to the public. I was very disappointed to not be able to attend in-person, due to previously planned travel, but thankfully the wonders of technology meant I was able to participate virtually and make introductory comments.
We’ve said it many times, but it always bears repeating: the last six years in Sonoma County have been hard. Catastrophic fires in 2017, 2019, and 2020; PG&E public safety power shutoffs (PSPS); flooding in 2019 and again this year in 2023; a global pandemic; closures of schools and businesses. Our county has experienced more than our fair share of devastating disasters that have undeniably taken a toll on our collective mental health. The May 2nd meeting included panelists on the subjects of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services and the Opioid Crisis, Mental Health and Wellness Needs, Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention, and Workforce Challenges and Solutions, highlighting the biggest gaps they see on the ground in their day-to-day work.
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Sonoma County is a multilayered ecosystem of troubling conditions: a shortage of mental health professionals both currently working and in the education pipeline, a lack of funding across the spectrum, a rise of substance-use disorders and homelessness, and a crisis of loneliness. Bringing stakeholders together from all corners of the county allowed us to compare notes on needs countywide and provide Health Services staff with information to prepare the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Measure O funding. As a refresher, Measure O is a quarter-cent sales tax measure Sonoma County voters passed in November 2020 that will support funding for behavioral health facilities, emergency psychiatric services, mental health and substance use disorder outpatient services, behavioral health and homelessness care coordination, and transitional and permanent supportive housing.
While I recognize the needs in our county are vast and widespread, anyone who has heard me speak on this issue knows that I am particularly concerned about the needs of the Sonoma Valley. The Sonoma Valley can sometimes slip under the radar amongst county leaders – it is geographically isolated, home to several disadvantaged areas particularly in the unincorporated Springs, and is, in general, underserved by countywide resources centered in Santa Rosa and the 101 corridor.
Around this time last year, a collective of mental health service providers organized by the Hanna Center banded together to apply for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to fill the gap of service needs in the Valley, and unfortunately did not receive any funding. I am grateful to several Sonoma Valley residents and experts who came to the May 2nd meeting to echo our concerns for our underrepresented Valley. And based upon the information presented on the needs in the County, Health Services is now preparing an RFP (Request for Proposals) for funding for services in Sonoma Valley and around the County.
In the Sonoma Valley, I have observed and heard from the community that our needs are most acutely concentrated in the experiences of our youth. In the First District at large, we have recently experienced the tragic stabbing at Montgomery High School, as well as safety concerns at Maria Carrillo and Sonoma Valley High Schools, and the loss of lives of young people to suicide. These have devastated our families, our students, our teachers, and our wider school communities. While we are on high alert in response to the struggles of our youth, mental health crises are not limited to this group, but rather coalesce at many intersecting identities: our BIPOC community, the LGBTQI+ community, older adults, the unhoused and housing insecure, those struggling with substance abuse, among others.
My office organizes a monthly Sonoma Valley Mental Health Services meeting with Department of Health Services and the Behavioral Health Division as well as Sonoma Valley community-based organizations and mental health providers. We discuss and identify needs, gaps, and opportunities for funding, services, and partnerships. I am grateful for these organizations and their staff who dedicate their time, and who find ways to collaborate amongst one another to best serve Sonoma Valley residents and their unique needs.
At the end of May, Hanna Center will officially launch a mental health hub where the collective on Sonoma Valley providers’ services will be based. The idea for a hub was born from a critical need for more accessible, affordable, and culturally responsive mental-health services for individuals and communities grappling with the effects of trauma and adverse childhood experiences.
Additionally, my office has been meeting and working with General Services and county departments to open a Regional County Hub in Sonoma Valley. Ideally this site would bring county services to offer behavioral health, eligibility services, WIC, and other essential services to our unincorporated residents and underserved populations in one physical location, and I hope to share more information on this soon. These services coming online in the Valley, the collaboration amongst county departments and community organizations, and the energy and urgency exhibited at the May 2nd forum have all given me hope. I am sure we will continue to build on this hope, but we have a great start.
As was made clear at the May 2nd Board of Supervisors forum, everyone has either struggled, or is close to someone like a friend or family member who has struggled, with mental health issues. Solutions are not one size fits all, which is why collaboration is key to ensuring the best possible outcomes for our community.
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Register to Attend - The Sonoma County Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division is partnering with Buckelew Programs to offer a special May is Mental Health Matters Month event. You are invited to attend and spread the word:
Creating a Safe Space for Mental Health through Connection
May 30th, 2023
3:00- 6:00pm
2060 W College Ave
Finley Center, Santa Rosa CA
Please register at the link below.
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Fridays at the Hood - Fridays at the Hood, the summer concert series previously known as Funky Fridays at Hood Mountain Regional Park, is back beginning June 2nd! I am so thrilled that after several years off, in part due to the pandemic, that this special event has been revived and reborn. A huge shoutout to the Live Musicians Coop for their tireless work, and visit the links below for tickets and follow along on the Fridays at the Hood Facebook page. I look forward to seeing you there!
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Call for Applications for the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission - In anticipation of upcoming vacancies, Supervisor Gorin is requesting anyone interested in joining the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission (SVCAC) to submit an application. We are particularly encouraging residents of the Springs who would consider serving on both the SVCAC and the Springs Municipal Advisory Council, which has a seat specifically for an SVCAC member. The City of Sonoma also has a vacancy, so whether you live in the City of Sonoma, the Springs, Kenwood, Glen Ellen, or elsewhere in the Sonoma Valley, we would love to review your application.
The SVCAC is a Joint Powers Authority between the City of Sonoma and the County, and generally hears land use items and provides an advisory recommendation the project moves to the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Adjustments, or other hearing body. In recent years, the SVCAC has heard such items as the Sonoma Developmental Center, Verano Ave Hotel and Housing project (former Paul’s Resort), Victory Station/Amazon project, Siesta Senior Apartments, various vineyard and cannabis projects, and other important land use items.
If you’re interested and want a brief overview of what SVCAC does, and a crash course in Permit Sonoma planning and land use, and how SVCAC’s recommendations are integrated into the planning process, please take some time to review this video presentation from the April SVCAC meeting. Between the presentation and commissioner questions and discussion, the item takes about an hour.
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City residents please reach out to Sonoma City Clerk Rebekah Barr at rbarr@sonomacity.org to express interest.
County residents who would like to apply can visit the link below.
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Springs MAC - Join the Springs Municipal Advisory Council on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 14th at 6:30pm.
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North Sonoma Valley MAC - Join the NSV MAC on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 20th at 5:30pm.
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The North Sonoma Valley MAC is looking for a new Minute Taker! If you are interested, please email District 1 Field Representative Hannah Whitman at Hannah.Whitman@sonoma-county.org.
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Sonoma Valley Citizen's Advisory Committee - The Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission advises on local planning projects in the Sonoma Valley, and hears informational items on other areas of interest. Join the SVCAC on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 28th at 6:30pm.
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Susan Gorin, 1st District Supervisor
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